Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Chapter 674

"Professor?"

At Yi-Han's call, Professor Bentozol spoke while shedding tears of blood.

"The unicorn's wound hasn't fully healed yet. Don't make it exert itself."

"Understood."

Following the professor's words, Yi-Han didn't resist and followed as the unicorn led him.

The fully grown adult unicorn was gentler than expected. Whether it was because it was injured, because Professor Bentozol was there, or perhaps because it was a bit afraid of Yi-Han, it guided him without showing any temper.

"!"

The place the unicorn led to was a small pond. The pond of clouds gathered on the mountain peak was emitting a unique color and magical energy.

"This is..."

"Unicorns have the power to change their surroundings to suit themselves. You could call it a separate world."

Just as the king of frost giants had eroded the surrounding reality into his domain simply by descending, unicorns had a similar ability.

Only then did Yi-Han realize who had brought the fog surrounding this mountain peak.

It wasn't Professor Bentozol's magic, but the unicorn's ability.

"Scoop water from that pond and take care of the unicorn. Since it's a pond created by the unicorn, it will be useful for treating wounds."

"Is this place the reason the unicorn keeps staying in the Grief Mountains?"

"That's right. Creating a new separate world like this consumes a lot of energy. It's dangerous for a unicorn that hasn't healed its wounds and is also taking care of a foal to create a new home elsewhere." R

"I see..."

"Hmph! Seems you're not a complete idiot."

Professor Bentozol treated the burst blood vessels in his eyes from shedding tears of blood.

Though he was envious and jealous, this brat was certainly smart. No wonder Professor Bungaegor kept him around.

Splash, splash-

Yi-Han slowly scooped water from the pond and poured it over the unicorn. The unicorn bowed its head as if in gratitude.

At that moment, the basilisk that had been dozing woke up in his sleeve and discovered the unicorn.

-...-

The basilisk looked at Yi-Han with eyes full of betrayal from inside the sleeve, but unfortunately, its gaze didn't reach because it was inside the sleeve.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap!

"?"

As it suddenly started frantically tapping his wrist with its tail, Yi-Han asked quizzically.

"What's wrong?"

"Hmph! To think you'd try to receive a unicorn's love while receiving a basilisk's love. Do you think the world will forgive you?"

The professor cursed Yi-Han, twisting his mischievous face even more.

Disciple or not, he seemed to really want to see Yi-Han get bitten by the basilisk and kicked by the unicorn.

Regardless, Yi-Han ignored him and talked to the baby basilisk.

"It can't be helped. Can't you see it's injured? I'll give you something delicious next time, so be patient. Yeah. Good. Good boy. Phew. You're even better than Niffirg."

"..."

As the basilisk was satisfied and closed its eyes again, Professor Bentozol was shocked.

That...

That bastard dared to deceive the innocent basilisk with such cheap wordplay!?

"The ba-basilisk... To toy with the innocent basilisk's heart...! You...! How dare...!"

"Professor. The flower bed that appeared behind this pond seems to serve as medicinal herbs, is that correct?"

"That's right! If you've washed its body with water, next use the herbs to make medicine."

Professor Bentozol was angry but answered when Yi-Han asked.

After all, the important thing was taking care of the unicorn.

"Do you know how to do alchemy?"

"I know a little."

"Dobruk's Soul Amplification Potion?"

"I've helped make it before."

In fact, Dobruk's Soul Amplification Potion was absolutely not a potion that someone of Yi-Han's level could make.

It was too difficult for lower-year Einroguard students to handle.

However, Yi-Han had assisted in making the Soul Amplification Potion while helping Yoanen, Yonaire's older sister.

Professor Bentozol looked at Yi-Han as if he was quite impressive when he said he had helped make the Soul Amplification Potion.

"I suppose your family deals with alchemy?"

"Well... They're not not involved..."

"Knowing that makes things easier. It's almost the same principle. Come here!"

Professor Bentozol set down a cauldron, lit a fire himself, and began preparing the potion.

Then the unicorn made a faint cry. It meant it was hot because there was a fire nearby.

The professor jumped up and apologized.

"I'm sorry! To think I'd make such a mistake! Because several noisy and annoying ones came!"

"Can't we just tell it to endure?"

"You... you... Can't you keep your mouth shut!"

Professor Bentozol looked at Yi-Han as if he was seeing the most terrible barbarian in the empire.

There was a limit to being violent and barbaric, how could he say such a thing?

"Watch the fire carefully. After boiling for 30 minutes, turn it off and you can rest for a while."

"Is there a particular reason we need to stop?"

"Because I need to prepare the Draphila."

Draphila was a plant with liquid components firmly fixed inside its roots, so preparing it and extracting the components inside was trickier than expected.

If one tried to forcefully solve it with strength, the roots would be destroyed and the liquid would mix, so Professor Bentozol had to do it himself.

"I can prepare it too..."

"Ha! If you can prepare it cleanly, I swear by the unicorn's name that I'll crawl on all fours and teach you!"

***

"What should I do next?"

"Wait a moment. I can't see."

Professor Bentozol, who had been on all fours in front of the cauldron, raised his head with a groan.

"Wouldn't it be better to just stand on two feet? It's fine."

"Hey, do you think the oath I made on the unicorn's name is a joke?!"

'Don't you just like crawling on all fours?'

Yi-Han looked at Professor Bentozol suspiciously.

Unaware that he was being subjected to such an absurd false accusation, Professor Bentozol instructed the remaining process.

"Now we just have to wait. Your preparation skills were excellent. Ugh."

"Thank you."

"But I don't remember seeing someone like you... Didn't you take the riding training lecture?"

"Well, I only entered last year, so I haven't met you."

"..."

Professor Bentozol dropped the coffee cup he had been holding in his mouth.

"...Are you saying you're going up to 2nd year now???"

"Yes. Professor Bungaegor told you, didn't she?"

She had clearly explained that she came to solve this matter with the help of new students, hadn't she?

"She might have... I don't usually listen to her words well."

"..."

"Surprising. To think you were a 1st year."

"Thank you."

"For such a brat to be loved by griffins and basilisks. Damn it. The world is so unfair..."

"..."

Yi-Han was about to say 'I didn't want to receive it either' but held back.

He remembered the professor trying to scoop up dirt with his palm to throw earlier.

"Fine! I'll acknowledge your ability. Though you need to fix how you deceive innocent beasts with clever lies..."

"I didn't lie."

"...Someone of your level has the basics to take care of animals."

"!"

When Professor Bentozol suddenly acknowledged him, Yi-Han felt more disgruntled than happy.

A professor's acknowledgment had more disadvantages than advantages, it seemed.

Especially if it was someone like Professor Bentozol.

'What kind of nonsense is he trying to make me do?'

"No. I'm lacking."

"I said you have the basics."

"I'm telling you I don't. You're mistaken."

"...Are you the professor? Are you the professor!"

Professor Bentozol exploded in anger, growling.

The student in front of him might not know, but Professor Bentozol rarely acknowledged students.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Even if they were senior students, it was the same.

Taking care of animals required more thorough dedication than excellent magic.

Normally, instead of acknowledging the boy in front of him right away, he would have observed him steadily doing work for several years, and if he seemed diligent, then he would have acknowledged him.

But since he had received the love of griffins and basilisks and was also recognized by the unicorn, he thought there was no need to test or observe him...

Yet this arrogant brat was denying it, saying it wasn't so!

"If it's not, it's not. I'm still lacking."

Yi-Han, who had dealt with all sorts of crazy professors, didn't back down easily.

He wasn't meek enough to be scared of a professor he met outside during the break, even if it might be different inside the school or during a lecture.

"I said you have it!"

"I don't."

"...Fine! You don't have it, you don't! Do as you please!"

Professor Bentozol stomped his feet and turned his head. Since he was crawling on all fours, it wasn't very threatening.

After being silent for a while, Professor Bentozol opened his mouth again.

"Brush the unicorn's hair."

"Yes."

Irritation was irritation, but since the unicorn liked that brat, it would be more comfortable if he took care of it.

"Be careful when brushing its hair!"

"Yes. I'll be careful not to lose even a single strand."

Since unicorn hair was a very rare and expensive magical reagent, if hair fell out by chance, it shouldn't be thrown away but kept.

At Yi-Han's answer, Professor Bentozol replied with a face on the verge of going crazy.

"You son of a mule, I meant brush it so the unicorn doesn't feel pain!!"

"Ah. Yes. I'll pay attention to that too."

The unicorn leisurely entrusted its body to Yi-Han's touch.

Contrary to Professor Bentozol's worries, he let out a sigh of relief as Yi-Han took good care of it. The unicorn seemed to really like him.

Thud-

The unicorn rubbed its head and left something in Yi-Han's palm.

It was a tiny fragment of its horn.

"!!"

Yi-Han was very surprised.

But not as surprised as Professor Bentozol.

Professor Bentozol desperately spoke as the unicorn he had cherished and cared for was about to be deceived by some rude and suspicious disciple.

"Don't be deceived by that bastard! He's seeing you as money!"

'No. How did he know?'

Yi-Han was taken aback.

In fact, he had been thinking about how much the unicorn's hair or horn fragments might be worth.

Rumble!

At that moment, a sound like thunder echoed in the sky. Professor Bentozol jumped up and said with a serious face.

"It's that beast!"

"What..."

"I mean the Taotie! It's coming this way. What did Professor Bungaegor go to do!"

Professor Bentozol panted and waved his staff.

Then an ominous black shadow spinning beyond the fog surrounding the mountain peak came into view.

"Is that the Taotie?"

"Yes. It can transform into a shadow and infiltrate the gaps in magic."

Below that mountain peak, monsters could be seen flocking as if being chased by something.

Yi-Han realized that the Taotie had driven the mountain's monsters this way.

'...They should be able to handle them.'

Deciding to trust his friends who had set up camp below, Yi-Han turned his gaze.

"Shouldn't we strike first?"

"No! It has the curse of retribution wrapped around its skin."

The Taotie wasn't simply a monster with excellent physical abilities.

Thanks to being born with such powerful curses innately, it was a threatening monster that even fairly competent mages were reluctant to face.

The curse of retribution also played a part in creating such notoriety.

A powerful curse that returns as much as it receives when attacked!

"You mean the curse?"

"Yes! It will avoid confronting us directly and try to kill only the unicorn. We mustn't show any openings!"

"Understood. Sweep through, Ferkuntra's lightning!"

"?!"

When Yi-Han shot out a thick bolt of lightning, Professor Bentozol thought for a moment he was crazy.

Indeed, the black shadow that was hit by the lightning howled cunningly. It intended to return the curse to the mage as is.

The curse returned to Yi-Han so quickly and accurately that it couldn't be avoided or blocked.

Professor Bentozol watched with anxious eyes, wondering if the young brat would be burned black.

"Sweep through, Ferkuntra's lightning!"

"!?"

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